Mike Shanahan: No one in NFL history has played at RG3’s level

Posted by Michael David Smith on December 28, 2012, 9:08 AM EDT

AP

Redskins coach Mike Shanahan was the head coach of a Broncos team that had a Hall of Fame quarterback in John Elway, and he was the offensive coordinator of a 49ers team that had two Hall of Fame quarterbacks in Joe Montana and Steve Young. But Shanahan says he has never seen anything like the quarterback he’s coaching right now.

Shanahan told reporters on Thursday that Griffin’s array of talents is unprecedented in NFL history.

“I don’t think anybody in the history of the league has played at his level,” Shanahan said. “At least over the last 40 years, when I take a look at the numbers and what he has done, I don’t think anybody has played at his level. As we’ve talked about before, he’s got a unique skill set — his ability to throw, drop back, play action, put a threat on a defense with his running ability — and he will just get better and better. He’s just scratching the surface. And the reason I say that is because he works at it.”

It may be premature to talk about Griffin in such lofty terms, but Griffin’s rookie season really has been unprecedented: He has a chance to break three NFL rookie passing records (highest passer rating, highest completion percentage and lowest interception percentage), and he also has 752 yards and six touchdowns on the ground. He’s playing the quarterback position like no one has ever played it.

226 responses to “Mike Shanahan: No one in NFL history has played at RG3’s level”

I mean your certainly hard pressed to find anyone who played like him as a rookie. Well of course if you look at Cam netwons stats last year where at this moment he had more pasing yards, passing tds, rushing tds.

Shanahan’s perfect QB from a physical and cerebral standpoint. The secret to Shanahan’s offensive system success is the mental preparation and he finally has the QB that can mentally attack the game plan and then physically make his diagrams dance on the field on gameday. He hasn’t had that since Young and the Stanford guy Elway.

Great player. I hope he doesn’t have a Vick like career, injurey wise. He already has had a concussion and a knee injury (both while running). The difference is RG3 has a higher football IQ than Vick. He has the arm and the intelligence to tweak his playing style which is was something Vick has not been able to do.

Maybe if you want him to make it more than three years you should consider being a better coach so he can be great. A concussion and a knee injury in one year doesn’t sound like a qb that will be able to be great for very long. Slide man slide.

Maybe you forgot that your Dad coached some guy named John Elway who had a cannon of an arm, strong as a lineman and could run with the best of them. Before we put RG3 on this great pedestal lets have him play a few years and earn that title.

Well actually, if all things remain the same, and ‘if’ the Skins beat the Cowboys…
Shanny will get to see the best rookie QB of this draft class come in and bounce his team out of the playoffs…
Go Hawks!

Love watching this kid play. Obviously A.Rodgers is my favorite QB in the league but if my beloved Pack could have anyone leading the team with the exception of Rodgers my first and only choice would be RGIII. Hoping Nike does a drastic change to the putrid Pro Bowl uniforms so I can buy myself an RGIII jersey without feeling the shame of wearing another teams colors. Dude is amazing and classy to boot.

There’s nothing wrong with Coach’s comments. I said the same thing before and during this season. Nobody has Robert’s skillset and IQ. Folks have a problem that he breaks the mold in great style. Like the saying goes, “You can’t handle the truth!”

The one caveat is, will his body survive long enough after all the hits, especially the head shots, to have a long career. I hope he does, and I’m not a ‘Skins fan. Seems like a good guy, and he’s exciting to watch.

Well, RG3 runs like a Triple Crown winner. He has an amazing quick release. He is generally really, really accurate and can throw 60 yards without really batting an eye. He’s elusive as anything. And he’s only 22 and has only had 15 games worth of experience so far – with lots of time to get even better. Maybe Shanny’s got a point.

Griffin has done well as a rookie but he’s not an elite QB, at least not yet. He’s this years Cam Newton… riding the ESPN hype machine. Let’s see where he is this time next year before getting a bronze bust ready for the hall of fame.

@baherr2012 To be fair. I would suppose Shanny is talking about RG3’s ceiling, and what he has been able to do already. This R class is best ever, bar none. Because they are better players? Maybe, but it likely has more to do with better coaching, better college coaching, and similar playbooks.
Is RG3 the next Montana? Let’s hold off. Same with RW3. Their future certainly looks bright, and both may have found their Franchise QB’s, same with Indy.
I’m most hesitant on RG3, to be honest, because of his injury risk. 2nd with Luck. Least with RW3.

To say NO ONE has ever played on his level is an absolute joke. Brady and Manning doubled his touchdowns in a season.
I realize the kid’s a great talent but the media needs to calm down putting him in the hall of fame.

As Miami fan very happy with Tannehill lets see what he can do year 2 and 3. Wilson very impressed with but Luck and Griffin are the standouts by a mile this season. Can Griffin keep this unbelievable level up i don’t know will be fun to watch though. But for me Luck really is the man, has everything in locker for a long career you can just see it. Green Bay (Farve – Rodgers), (49ers Montana – Young) and now the Colts have been blessed by having almost a seamless handing over of the QB reigns from one HoF to another.

For half the season, 70% of his passes were within 5 yds of the line of scrimmage… Same thing with Russel Wilson. They’ve opened up the offense a little bit the 2nd half of the year and they both adjusted well and picked it up and limited mistakes.

Cam’s great. But RG3 will finish with more rushing yards than Cam had last year. Cam had a lot of 1-2 yard rushing TDs. Cam had more passing yards last year, but RG3’s had a better year throwing the ball. Much higher QB rating and comp %. And more wins.

I love RG3 but Shanny’s gone a little too far. But I understand it because when you haven’t had a real QB in more then a decade, you’d be giddy too.

Right now, RG3 is on the same exact course as Vince Young, Michael Vick and Cam Newton.

Remember, all these guys were suppose to change the position, all these guys won “rookie of the year” awards.

Then, once the league figured them out and had film on them, they were done. I like RG3 more then the other guys mentioned, but he still has to prove that he’s a real passer and not just an athlete playing QB like the above mentioned other guys.

umm, wow! i wouldn’t think Mike Shanahan of all people would break out such a statement on anyone, let alone a first year man.. RGIII is good also he’s smart and disciplined as well as very atheletic, but as a coach you want to keep him grounded and making statements like that so close to a crucial game is a gamble i wouldn’t take.

Living in MD i’ve enjoyed ~20 years of pure Redskins laughter but this guy is the real deal. Every broke down and beaten squirrell will get a nut now and again, this is one they must protect and cherish because he’s the spine of that entire org. I really like this guy and personally wish him and only him the best, his franchise is garbage.

Back in 2006, we Titans fans were told we’d just drafted the “Michael Jordan of the NFL.” Unfortunately, our new quarterback was not a student of the game, a natural leader, emotionally stable, or down-to-earth. Robert Griffin III, meanwhile, is all of those things and more. Congrats Redskins fans. In the words of Bono, Griffin’s even better than the real thing. 🙂

jckid21 says:
Dec 28, 2012 9:20 AM
Maybe you forgot that your Dad coached some guy named John Elway who had a cannon of an arm, strong as a lineman and could run with the best of them. Before we put RG3 on this great pedestal lets have him play a few years and earn that title.

Great year no doubt. Probably a special player. But let’s not crown him just yet. Let’s see how he does next year with a year of tape on him. The NFL works that way. People catch up. It happens to everyone. A-Rod destroyed the league last year with a ridiculous 122 qb rating…made it look easy. He truly played at a level never seen in the NFL (sorry Shanahan). What happened? Teams adjusted to the Packer’s game. Made them do other things. Rodgers is still great but not video game great. Wait a year and see how teams handle RGIII once they know what he likes and what he is going to do.

Aaron Rodgers last season in which he shattered the passing rating would tend to differ. He was also extremely dangerous with his feet. Not as dangerous as RG3 in that aspect, but his season was ridiculous.

The guy is a great talent but I kind of feel sorry for him……he’s one of the most over-hyped players ever and has no where to go but down. Good luck RGIII but I have a feeling once your career comes to an end, you’ll have disappointed a lot of your team’s fans because they can’t temper their expectations.

Alot of you guys should really brush up on your your reading comprehension skills. Shanahan did not speak on him being better than any of the QBs listed in the comments. He never mentioned Elway, Brady, Montana or Manning. He stated that his skill set is unique and unprecedented and I’d agree. You’d be hard-pressed to find a QB with his speed, smarts, and the ability to stand in the pocket or run in NFL history.

Defensive Coordinators will figure out how to stop RG3 just like they figured out how to stop Cam Newton. Oh … wait … What’s that you say? Cam’s last seven games have been the best string of games of his career?

RGIII will be concussed into oblivion. He will never live to reach his full potential. He will be out of the league or relegated to back up status within 5 years. Style too dangerous to last. Concussions or knee injuries will be the end. Bet.

Wow…someone of you people need to read his comments again. Shanny is clearly comparing RG3’s ROOKIE stats to those other great QB’s. He’s NOT saying RG3 is already better than Elway or Montana ever were. In comparison…Peyton had a disasterous rookie season.

I think he is saying that RG3s physical gifts are greater “as a rookie” and he is smarter than both of them remember Steve young couldn’t grasp the west coast offense immediately and Elway never wanted to conform to an offense he was gonna gunsling no matter what. If you read between the lines he’s talking about dudes work ethic which you don’t know till you coach em.

Luck’s defense is just as bad as the skins and he has fewer offensive weapons at his disposal. Yet, he has a better record and already has his team in the playoffs. 4100 pass yards and 600 attempts this season, that is incredible. RG3 is having a great year no doubt but he’s not even playing at the highest level in his own rookie class let alone the whole history of the NFL.

RG3 is a great first year player, he’s fun to watch and has proven to be a good leader for a team that was in dire need of a leader. One of the fun but crazy things we do in sports is compare players over many generations. The rules of play favored a running game for ever and maybe the last ten years or so have favored a passing game. When you look at what someone did back even in Elway’s years to RG3/Luck or others is really hard….but fun.

I’m super excited for the future of the NFL with all the young talent that has emerged recently.. I just wish my Bills had more of it lol

As an unbiased outsider to this young class of QBs, I can honestly say that I would take any of them on Buffalo.. and you people who are bickering about who’s best amongst them should just be grateful that it’s a debate you can take part in! Us Bills fans certainly cannot 😦

Maybe you should read them again. Where does he compare him to other rookies?

“I don’t think anybody in the history of the league has played at his level”

If he meant rookie, he certainly didn’t say it. And given that the word “level” only refers to the vertical (up and down) direction, it means he is either playing at a higher level than “anybody in the history of the league” or at a lower level.

You can make any assumptions you want about what he might have meant, but not about what he said.

OK – Griffin III in college already has had a Torn ACL and a rutptured Achilles Tendon – 2 very serious injuries. So far this season he has had a concussion and a strained knee ligament.

Taking your biased opinion out of the equation whether your a hater or a lover – ask yourself this question….based on his injury history do you think he really will have a long successful career? I kinda see alot of similiarities with Vick except I don’t think Griffin III is involved in dog fighting and killing.

jckid21 says:
Dec 28, 2012 9:20 AM
Maybe you forgot that your Dad coached some guy named John Elway who had a cannon of an arm, strong as a lineman and could run with the best of them. Before we put RG3 on this great pedestal lets have him play a few years and earn that title.

RGIII is great and clearly has had one of the greatest rookie seasons ever. It would be a mistake to jump to conclusions though. So far he hasn’t had the durability of an all time great. He’s going to get killed if he doesn’t slide earlier. Also, he actually needs to play a few years before making sweeping statements like these. I hope he keeps going, but look at Cam this year. It’s not so easy.

When he was in college I seen him several times in person. He was the best college qb I’ve ever seen. His deep balls were so fast and accurate, it was like throwing screen passes.. I can’t believe Dallas and some of these teams didn’t give up everything to get him. Imagine if drew Brees had a cannon for an arm could run super fast and never threw an interception. That’s rg3 imo

Urm Shanahan, you may want to think back to that QB you coached in San Francisco by the name of Steve Young.
Sure he didn’t have over the top rushing yardage but he was a bigtime threat (37 TDs on the ground) and kept it up over a great number of years while setting the NFL career QB rating. (Rodgers may be at #1 now but lets see where he ends up by the time he quits).
Lets see RG3 keep it up for another 4 years and then talk.

Unless Shanahan is speaking in terms of rookie quarterbacks, which he didn’t say, he is as wrong as it gets. It’s like everyone forgot about how Aaron Rodgers completely dominated teams last year to the tune of 4.6k yards, 46 TDs, and only 6 INTs, or Tom Brady’s 4.8k yards, 50 TDs, 8 INTs in 2007. To say that RG3 has executed at a higher level than any QB in any given year is wrong. Perhaps he’s executing at a higher level than any rookie QB, but I’m wondering how well some other rookies would have been if they hadn’t been held back, such as Russell Wilson (for those of you who say he wasn’t held back, the coaching staff didn’t open up the whole playbook until after the Bears game, and the coaching staff admitted that they were keeping the offense scaled down throughout the early portion of the year).

So far, Andrew Luck is more Eli Manning than Peyton Manning. The kid is money in the clutch … Otherwise?

Completion percentage: 54.3%
TDs: 21
INTs: 18
Passer Rating: 75.6

Hopefully just typical rookie stats that will improve with experience . . .
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You forget to take into account that he has 600 pass attempts those numbers are incredibly impressive for a rookie. For comparisons, RG3 only has 375 attempts. I promise you his stats wouldn’t look nearly as good with another 225 attempts to equal Lucks.

Oh please…Luck, Wilson and Kapernick (not a rookie but)are playing better than RGIII. Shanahan is dellusional. He’s just happy RGIII saved his job. RGIII is nothing more than this decades’ version of Randall Cunningham. We had him, what did he win? Then we had Vick, what did he win? RGIII is no different.

Hey Shanahan.. I am a Bronco fan from waayyy back! Remember a guy named John Elway? He’d be the QB that made you look like an awesome coach, then he retired, and you never were even close to the same level afterwards. I know you are all excited with your new toy and all, and I certainly won’t take anything away from RGIII because he is very good and will be for years to come… IF his running don’t get him killed, like Vick’s has done to him. Say what you want about Vick, but all the hits he has taken running the ball, has affected his overall ability. Playing that style of football tends to lessen a quarterback’s shelf life in the NFL…

Wow…someone of you people need to read his comments again. Shanny is clearly comparing RG3′s ROOKIE stats to those other great QB’s. He’s NOT saying RG3 is already better than Elway or Montana ever were. In comparison…Peyton had a disasterous rookie season.
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“I don’t think anybody in the history of the league has played at his level,” Shanahan said. “At least over the last 40 years, when I take a look at the numbers and what he has done, I don’t think anybody has played at his level.

OK, what are we missing? His rookie stats are NOT better than every QB who has played over the last 40 years. And besides, would he have any other stats to use except for his “rookie stats”? He is, after all, a rookie.

i wish yall oldschool NFL fans would shutup. He’s playing a dangerous style?? Last time i checked, the NFL is the most dangerous professional sport in the country… So anybody is liable to get hurt on a play… He’s played extremely efficient and not making mistakes which is what shanahan is referring to so all that “look at Cam Newton” is BS because Cam was NOT this efficient last year. yes he put up numbers(LIKE ANDREW LUCK) but he wasnt Efficient WITH IT. RG3 will have them huge numbers eventually but when he reach that milestone, he will be a BIG STATS star with GOOD EFFICIENCY(ALA A-ROD)… do yall homework before yall comment certain posts… Mike respects Elway and all the others, it wasnt a diss… so stop sack riding.. #HTTR

Maybe you forgot that your Dad coached some guy named John Elway who had a cannon of an arm, strong as a lineman and could run with the best of them. Before we put RG3 on this great pedestal lets have him play a few years and earn that title.
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When did Mike Shanahans dad coach Elway? Guess I missed that. Also, to the moron hater that says typical MS taking credit for things he didn’t do: Who drafted RG3 smart guy? Who? They shouldn’t let 12 yr olds on the net unsupervised. If they do, tell them to stick to yahoo games and boy porn.

skeebo80 says:
Dec 28, 2012 9:16 AM
RGIII should get rookie of the year
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Griffin will get ROY, but he shouldn’t. He is a great player but isn’t even the most valuable rookie on his own team. Alfred Morris has been much more valuable. I bet they would have a better record with Morris and Cousins than they would with Griffin and all their RB’s except Morris.

Griffin will get the votes due to the hype machine, but Morris has made a bigger impact as far as wins and losses. If Morris has his average game he will break the franchise single season rushing record. If Griffin has his average game, he still will not finish in the top 10 in TDs, yards or completions.

Fans forget quickly that the Skins won a game without Griffin and they made a fourth quarter comeback/ OT victory without him.

Completion percentage is a skewed stat. Just ask Jim Harbaugh and Alex Smith. When most of your passes are bubble screens, you better complete most of them.

i wish yall oldschool NFL fans would shutup. He’s playing a dangerous style?? Last time i checked, the NFL is the most dangerous professional sport in the country… So anybody is liable to get hurt on a play… He’s played extremely efficient and not making mistakes which is what shanahan is referring to so all that “look at Cam Newton” is BS because Cam was NOT this efficient last year. yes he put up numbers(LIKE ANDREW LUCK) but he wasnt Efficient WITH IT. RG3 will have them huge numbers eventually but when he reach that milestone, he will be a BIG STATS star with GOOD EFFICIENCY(ALA A-ROD)… do yall homework before yall comment certain posts… Mike respects Elway and all the others, it wasnt a diss… so stop sack riding.. #HTTR
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You lost all credibility when you compared Newton to Luck. I understand what you are trying to say but Luck took a horrible team to 10 wins and possibly 11 and the playoffs. Newton has done nothing yet.

Defenses will have an off season to prepare for the “pistol”. I doubt they win as many games next year if they don’t fix that leaky defense.

RGIII can pass so I think he can still have a good QBR next year, but I think the big plays will be better prepared for what their doing, like Carolina. Andrew Luck, next year will have better time adjusting because his skill set is traditional. RGIII has this ability, but in the past like the run n shoot and the wild cat, teams figure it out better.

logicalvoicesays says:
Dec 28, 2012 9:34 AM
There’s nothing wrong with Coach’s comments. I said the same thing before and during this season. Nobody has Robert’s skillset and IQ. Folks have a problem that he breaks the mold in great style. Like the saying goes, “You can’t handle the truth!”

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One Thomas Mother Fugin Brady would beg to differ. I love watching RGIII but he is not on that elite plateau yet. I’d like to see the pats play the skins, Brady really gets up for playing the next big thing, remember Tebow last year twice, and the anointed MVP Andrew Luck this year, and the upstart world beating Texans… Yea. I’d like to see a Skins vs Patriots Super Bowl

I have. His name is Russell Wilson. 5 of Russell’s INTs were catchable tips. 25 TDs, 5 INTs without that.

RGIII is great, don’t get me wrong — but Shanahan is senile if he thinks no one has ever played up to RGIII’s level. Pretty sure 2007 Tom Brady > 2012 RGIII. Call me when RGIII throws for 50 TDs in a season.

Those of you who are comparing Newtons season last year to RGIII’s need to relax. First of all, passing yards are overrated, ask Stafford or Phillip Rivers about that. Newton’s team was 6-10 and always playing from behind so their only choice was to throw the ball to keep up.
Griffin should win Rookie of the year because he has led his team to the brink of the playoffs. He hasn’t had a single “bad” game yet and no moment is too big for him. Wilson has been great but he is overshadowed and protected by a dominating defense.Luck has also been top notch, leading several comebacks but I think his turnovers have hindered his team at times.

RGIII is no doubt a good player. He is a media darling, and has no business being mentioned in this context.. Rat Shannahan should be ashamed of himself, he has disrespected all who have played the game. When Kirk Cousins puts up stats on par with RGIII in his one start, it tells me that the system in which they play has ALOT to do with the stats and numbers being put up. Remember Cam was the next great thing also, then the defensed got enough tape and reality set in. Not a hater here, I just use my own brain instead of taking media love as fact.

Well, it’s great that there is excitement about RGIII. But, that doesn’t make him a shoe-in for Rookie of the Year. The fact is that at QB there are 3 solid candidates for that award. Wilson and Luck are the other two, obviously. As for longevity, I’ll take Wilson and Luck over Griffin any day. Why? It’s just the fact that QBs who are also expected to be running backs just don’t excel for that long a period. If I were Shanahan, I’d concentrate more on building an offense that allows Griffin to do more throwing and less running. If he doesn’t, then he’s going to find that he has a “good” QB rather than a great one.

So u guys mean to tell me that Elway and Young run 4’3 40’s and yea he may risk getting hurt but I’d rather have a guy on my team that is down to put it on the line to win a game I mean he has changed the look on nfl offense name another team that run that type of offense in the nfl none can because not only can he run with world class speed he has the arm iq and accuracy of an elite qb and for the people who are screaming Vick and Newton neither one of them had playoff hopes the rookie season nor did they have a 6 game winning streak call it what you want but I’m gonna trust the guy with a Super Bowl ring first

No doubt this kid is exciting however Coach Shanny who I suspect will be first HC to be Super with two teams has short memory….Aaron Rodgers 2011 will likely never be topped statistically and those numbers are w/o him staying in blowouts and padding a la Brady or Brees. Additionally, Cousins came in cold and put up same numbers with stellar running game. This kid is being over hyped b/c of skin color imo. He had 3 losses in average conference and won Heisman Trophy; (could not beat OSU) his NFL team boasts the #1 running attack and asks him to throw mainly short routes of passing tree and still he will finish with 6 0r 7 losses. Luck has very little around him, higher expectations upon him, a 2-14 team from a year ago and will finish with 10 or 11 wins….much tougher feat imo. Wilson also has had great year, but like RG, he has #2 rushing attack and a great D.

Shanahan is talking rubbish, there have been excellent QB’s out there in the past. What is he talking about?This guy is not the best ever, that’s ridiculous. Just wait for a few more hits, and we have Michael Vick all over again. The media have gone “overboard’ with this, and it’s ridiculous. Andrew Luck isn’t too bad, and nor is Russell Wilson.
Wait until Sunday, he may get a lesson from the Cowboys then.

The Redskins and Redskin fans are like cicadas. They come out once every seven to seventeen years, make a lot of noise and mess and then go away as quickly as we realize how harmless they really are. Just a lot of annoying buzzing to deal with for another week, or two at the most.

Never underestimate the value of the scheme. RG3 is having insane success because they are running a scheme that is eating defenses alive right now. You have to respect his ability to run, he’s Olympics fast, and you have to respect Morris’s ability to run. This is getting linebackers pinched up to the line and leaving the square ins and crossing routes WIDE open.

But, he has a beautiful deep throw. He flicks it down field effortlessly. He has great accuracy. Even when he is hitting wide open guys, he’s putting the ball on the money so they can pick up yards after the catch. His release and mechanics are spectacular. Once defenses start catching on to the Pistol offense, Griffin should be developed to the point that he is running an offense that is more like the Shannahan offense that you are used to seeing.

The kid is legit and if you watch him you can see him improve every week. He is different from Vick in that he doesn’t rely strictly on his legs rather than an ability to read a defense. He is different from Cam because he is more mature, a better leader, and doesn’t have the same arrogance. He is different from Young in that he is putting in the work rather than deciding he’s earned anything before he has.

I’m not going to say that he’s better than Elway (who as a young guy was a SERIOUS running threat), Steve Young, Joe Montana, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Johnny Unitas, or Dan Marino just yet. All those guys, save Marino, have the rings to back it up. Check back in four years and see if he isn’t in the conversation, though.

RGIII has out rushed Newton and Wilson has out passed him so his rookie records that were never to be broken were taken down in the next season by 2 different rookie QBs. Newton is slow but strong and his arm isnt even close to the arm on RGIII. Great QB in Carolina but what has he done for them as far as improving the team. RGIII and Wilson took their teams to the playoffs. Sour Grapes dog!!!

“I don’t think anybody in the history of the league has played at his level,” Shanahan said. “At least over the last 40 years, when I take a look at the numbers and what he has done, I don’t think anybody has played at his level.

OK, what are we missing? His rookie stats are NOT better than every QB who has played over the last 40 years. And besides, would he have any other stats to use except for his “rookie stats”? He is, after all, a rookie.
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Better stats are not just bigger numbers. The fact is that Griffin could have conceivably gone 16-0 this year without any significant change in his overall stat lines, that is an inarguable fact. By your logic, even if Griffin didn’t lose one game, Luck or Wilson would still deserve to win rookie of the year because they put up bigger numbers. And by setting the three records he is positioned for, it’s not that hard to make a case for one of the best rookie seasons ever.

Also, for the record, I just found the interview, and Shanahan made his comments in the context of rookie seasons, not “best quarterback play of all time”.

This is just a dumb statement.
In Dan Marino’s first full season as a starter he threw for 5,084 yards and 48 TDs.
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While that is true, it was his second year as a pro, and he was playing on a team two years removed from a Super Bowl victory; not a team one year removed from being shut out by the Bills and missing its two receivers for nearly the entire year.

To all you geniuses that think you know more than Shanahan (who actually has coached some pretty good players during his time): he’s just putting his marker down now so he can say, “I told you so”.

And regarding Griffin’s durability: I seriously doubt he will be a long-term running QB. That is just what works this season with this team. Next year will be different.

Last week he demonstrated he can be a pure pocket passer and extremely dangerous if/when he decides to run. All he has to do is keep defenses honest. As soon as he sees them cheating a little to get an edge on him – BAM! He’s gone. I can see him playing that game for at least 5 years, and I’m sure Shanahan does too.

Well, you know that he and Elway hate each other, so no surprise that he wouldn’t have a problem with hyperbole in order to elevate his new guy.
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Moot point because Wilson, Luck, and Newton all used PED’s– See, I can make things up too.

If your memory is actually faulty as opposed to this being a deliberate deception, it was Dan Reeves and Elway who hated each other, and Griese and Shanahan who didn’t get along. Shanahan and Elway are good friends.

On top of that, the thought that Griffin, or Luck or Wilson, for that matter, need to be hyped up is beyond ridiculous. Anyone who’s not living under a rock knows that all three are superstars. The only QB who deserves more hype is Tannehill, who is having a terrific rookie season, but unfortunately chose the wrong year to do it; as the big three’s weekly performances totally overshadow his.

I have. His name is Russell Wilson. 5 of Russell’s INTs were catchable tips. 25 TDs, 5 INTs without that.

RGIII is great, don’t get me wrong — but Shanahan is senile if he thinks no one has ever played up to RGIII’s level. Pretty sure 2007 Tom Brady > 2012 RGIII. Call me when RGIII throws for 50 TDs in a season.

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Russell Wilson has a defense that dominates, the Skins have to basicly out score their opponents. 5 ints by RGIII 2 of which were his fault. I would bet RGIII could give it a hellava shot for 50 tds if he had the team Brady has. McNabb could win with that team, especially back when he threw for 50 tds. Apples to Oranges, and you haters are just jealous that he is better than the rest……..FACT!!!
We Skins fans love to hear you fools keep talking sh1te as we move forward to beating the girlyboys with the ho.mo playing well. Its like a playoff game, he only knows how to choke and choke he will…………..again…history repeats itself. Get a real QB and maybe you can get someone that doesnt make the NFL bloppers in playoff senarios, oops I mean trying to get there and when he does his nerves just give out and he is destined to be a loser for the rest of his career.

As a Pats fan that has been transplanted to Virginia for 13 years now, arguably the heart of redskins country, I’ve had to suffer through fox carrying every crappy skins game at the expense of a top flight matchup for that long and listen to everyone in this area suffer. I don’t think people around the nation know how really HORRIBLE the redskins have been for the better part of 2 decades. And for RGIII to single handedly turn that train wreck around is beyond me and I think because I’ve been around that culture (not as a fan) i see how special he is.

And as for the whole Luck is doing more with less argument… Just stop it the colts are built to have an elite qb carry them. The structure was still in place, the redskins had no sign of a structure. And I hope all of these rookies could care less about ROTY or MVP and are focused on the only award that really matters

does anyone take into consideration that the Skins have the #rushing team in the NFL and they also are #1 in turnover ratio…..luck leads the league in TOs. The big difference is the fact the man can throw rolling to his left and hit a man in the right corner of the end zone from 70 yards out that is dead accurate. You would have to have a scope on a rifle to be that accurate from 70 yards out. The beauty is he just flicks his wrist and zippity do da…on a rope……….TD!

No matter how many of you want to challenge Mike Shanahan on this—he has coached some of the best QBs ever to come along—and this is truley what he believes. You cannot argue with him about this as he knows more than all of us. I am just glad that RG3 will force the NFC East to work around him specifically. This new weapon makes us a formidable threat each and everytime.

Also, if one more no brain fake football fan tries to say Cam Newton is better or even had a better rookie year, shut up now and go watch the NBA. Let’s go ahead and compare…

1. Only arguement I’ve read is Cam threw for 4000. He threw most of those yards trying to come from behind in garbage time with nothing on the line.
2. Every other measureable stat is better for RG3 except Rushing TDs…(this is with one game left to play, and one missed game)
QB Rating 104/84
TD Passes 20/21 (one game left, he’ll finish with 22ish)
INT 5 to 17
INT % 1.3 to 3.3
Completion % 66 to 60
Rush Yards 752 to 706

3. RG3 has yet to complain about team mates and chest bump refrees like a jerk. He is one thing Cam will never be (and no I’m not referring to being skinny), he’s a natural born LEADER. He gives pregame speeches, he motivates teammates publically via twitter and other social media, and he reaches out to the community (randomly showed to a high school football game that had a breast cancer awareness fund raiser). All this while still being a 21 year old Rookie..

Some of these comments are unbelievable. I know none of us could be out there playing with the skill and the class RG3 that has. Win or lose on Sunday, RG3 is an awesome player and I’d take him on my team over anyone except Peyton, Tom, and Aaron. Go ‘Skins!!!!!

Irrelevant – 2-14 and there is structure you say? LoL Luck is doing more with less on both sides of the ball. RG depends on running game for play action, and short passing game, while Luck has to throw the ball mostly on the move and much deeper down field.
Luck broke several Rookie QB records this season that RG will likley never accomplish in his career…total yards-4400?, comeback wins 7, single season game passing yards, (jersey sent to Canton after game) lol You sound like a Homer with one way vision bro

and the kool-aid is red. Mike I hope the flavor continues to be sweet for your sake this sunday night because if not the redskins might be sitting at home next week for the playoffs. to RGIII s credit he believed when you coach were at the point of giving up. I believe that the pulse of the team ride or dies with him. So mike Lets save him for the long haul by instituting a more pass oriented offense that runs him less one that saves his body because he has the football IQ to do it.

Sham Newt is an average NFL qb with great athleticism…he is an ego-maniac and hardly a team player. RG is better on/off the field. Sham’s 2011 campaign was an aberation.

Luck shattered Sham’s records and then some and has taken a 2-14 team into the post season with less than Peyton had there his entire career! Easily the ROY to any objective, non biased student of the great game of football. RG is dependent on running game and play action for 85% of his sucess- the very reason a cold Cousins came in and duplicated the same numbers….Luck is doing great things w/o a running game, much time to throw and with mostly 1st year players at skill positions, except for one WR- Wayne…..

thats all good and well.. but we all know that his playing style as shanny calls its.. wont have rg3 in the league for anymore that 6-7 years.. he wont get even close to peytons stats bec peyton has all the ability in his arm and brain and doesnt need 2 make up for the lack there of by using his legs..

I like RG3, but realistically, I feel like the style of quarterbacking that he plays can only last 2-4 years.

Those QB’s who scramble a lot and run out of the pocket tend to get hit a lot more, so they get hurt, and they try playing with injuries, or start running less and their passing game goes downhill because the scramble threat is gone, etc.

The greats at the QB position, Manning, Brady, Brees, etc, don’t run all over the field. They are pocket passes who leave the pocket rarely. They have already had long careers as well, because they are protected well and don’t leave the pocket much.

A guy like RG3 burns bright, and I wish him well, but I’ve yet to see a QB who makes running out of the backfield a prominent part of his game last more than a few years at a high level of play.

So, for me, if RG3 really wants to be a “game changer” at the QB position, he’s going to have to keep playing like he does AND prove that he has the durability to keep it over more than a couple of years.

he’s saying this because without RG3 he’d be unemployed and exposed for the overrated fraud that he is
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neemdaddy13 says: Dec 28, 2012 12:47 PM

RGIII is no doubt a good player. He is a media darling, and has no business being mentioned in this context.. Rat Shannahan should be ashamed of himself, he has disrespected all who have played the game. When Kirk Cousins puts up stats on par with RGIII in his one start, it tells me that the system in which they play has ALOT to do with the stats and numbers being put up. Remember Cam was the next great thing also, then the defensed got enough tape and reality set in. Not a hater here, I just use my own brain instead of taking media love as fact.
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Trying to separate coaches from quarterbacks and quarterbacks from coaches is always a stupid argument– one that neither side will ever win. Very few quarterbacks have success under multiple coaches and only one coach has ever won Super Bowls with two different quarterbacks.

xerocc- So you’re saying that because of Brady and Rogers, McCarthy and Belichick would be unemployed frauds as well?

neemdaddy- First off, the Shanahans employed a completely different offensive scheme with Cousins than the one they use with Griffin. Secondly, are you saying that because Cousins succeeded under the same coaches as Griffin does, that the Third isn’t actually a good quarterback? I’d love to see how Jamarcus Russell does under the Shanahans. Or, for that matter, how Brady, Brees, or Rodgers would do under Lane Kiffin and Denny Green.

What is that supposed to mean? The Redskins do in fact play in the NFL, which is a professional football league, and with this offense are 9-6, one game away from making the playoffs.

Wow… You redskins fans…. You guys should think before you type… Seriously… The Redskins are running a college offense for RG3. What the poster was trying to say is running that college crap worked great for a year because they had no game tape on RG3. Now they have an entire season of tape on RG3 and this will force the redskins to change their offensive style or they will get figured out quick and RG3 will be on IR for the year. The real test for RG3 will come next season when he has to escape that comfort zone and change up his style of play.

Double Also, anyone who says Shanny is only good because of Elway is also a dumbass. Shanny was the Broncos QB coach in 1983, OC in the late 80’s, and HC in the late 90’s. Between the 80s and late 90s he also was OC for the 49ers and Coached Montana and coached Steve Young to his only Super Bowl. Also, on a side note he sent Brian Grease, Jake Plummer, and Jay Cutler to Pro Bowls post Elway. The Denvers defenses they had were terrible though, so he was fired after an 8-8 season. There would be parades through DC for an 8-8 season.

beastmode5150 has probably summed it up best.
Shanahan must be delusional if he really believes what he’s yapping. RG3 is no doubt a very good QB, but he hasn’t even been in the league a whole season. RG3 has a great skill set, but he hasn’t played at the level that Aikman, Brady, Brees, Montana, Elway, Favre, Starr, Jurgensen, Manning, Marino, Tittle, Van Brocklin, Kelly, Staubach, Tarkenton, Young or Unitas.

Does RG3 manage the game as well as the above did over an extended period of time? Does RG3 have the mental toughness of the above QB’s?

I’d suggest Shanahan get some bed rest and try not to make any other dumb statements.

RG3 has been far better then I expected but I think you have to step back and look at the system. The Redskins have the #1 ranked rush offense in the league and when RG3 was out Cousins looked like a 1st round pick. Let’s not forget the win the skins have all season is against a suspect ravens team.

I think Wilson has been impressive. He has wins over San Fran, Green Bay, Chicago.

Do you really think D coordinators that have been coaching 20+ years can’t figure him out after 14 weeks?
Or maybe he’s so dynamic they can’t stop him.

No doubt, it’s the latter. And Mike is right. The scary part for the rest of the league is that he is just scratching the surface.
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If you start your comment with “Cue the” that can just be your cue to shut up you lame cliche.

bjenks10 says:
Dec 28, 2012 9:13 AM
I mean your certainly hard pressed to find anyone who played like him as a rookie. Well of course if you look at Cam netwons stats last year where at this moment he had more pasing yards, passing tds, rushing tds.

I’m a Redskins fan and loathe Griffin with every ounce in my being. How can someone with such margin actual quarterbacking skills get so much press?

Here is what I mean…

He only has 1 or 2 hot quarters. The rest of the time his team moves nowhere when he is running it.

He is 1-5 without the wide receiver Pierre Garcon. With Pierre in the lineup, the China Doll is 8-1.

Griffin’s third down rating is somewhere in the 30% range for the year – simply horrible.

Griffin cannot run a two minute offense. In fact he takes 4 minutes to run it. Don’t believe me – watch the tapes. He is inept.

Griffin is not a leader on the field. The two minute offense is an example – he is not the motivator to get his team up the field; he takes 5-10 seconds to call the play at the line. He is ineffective when running it. This has always been his problem even in college.

The Redskins are padding his stats – disproportionate short yardage passes and very few downfield attempts (though with Garcon in there they have taken more). Griffin scrambles around not willing to wait for plays to open up (and they do).

Griffin is primarily a very brittle running back who thinks he can throw. He has no talent to hit any receiver except wide open ones (and then if they aren’t Garcon he over throws them).

Griffin is a middle of the road passer. He’s a great gimmick. But he is the China doll and he’ll be off the field as often as he’s on it in a few years.

I would rather have Russell Wilson because he seems like more of a winner and a certain clutch factor that I don’t really get from RG3. Yeah, he’s a fantasic QB, but I just don’t see him ever winning a SB. The injuries will happen

I am happy for RG3 having success. Don’t get me wrong, but I’d take Luck over the course of a 15 year career in a heartbeat. That isn’t saying RG will be a bust, but Luck has “it”. Despite the INTs (and terrible line that forces him to throw early/off target), the Bruce “Air-ians” vertical passing game that forsakes 5-10 yard slants for fly routes, Luck has been nothing short of ridiculously good when it matters. Tied the NFL record for 4th qtr game winning drives by a rookie, broke the rookie QB passing record with a game to go…give him a good line and the sky is the limit.

I’ll leave you with this. If the roles were reversed, would RG3 be doing what Luck has done in Indy? I don’t think so. First of all, he’d be on IR already (Luck most hit QB in NFL this season), secondly I don’t think he would be as fast to adapt to Arians’ very complex offense. No slight, he’s a smart kid, but Luck was given the entire playbook and told “go out there and do it.” Not quite the same in DC…

RG3 has Alfred Morris running for 1500 yards and 10 TDs behind him.Hard to throw for 4000 when you have that good of a running game.Also his number 1 WR missed half the year,number 1 TE gone for the year,good 3rd down back catching passes in Helu is also gone.

Luck broke several Rookie QB records this season that RG will likley never accomplish in his career…total yards-4400?, comeback wins 7, single season game passing yards, (jersey sent to Canton after game) lol You sound like a Homer with one way vision bro
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Shanahan is not saying Luck is a bad quarterback, that would be stupid. However, what’s even stupider is to suggest that Griffin is not capable of throwing for 4400 yards, and to list comeback wins as an achievement. I’ll handle each in turn:

Bruce Arians’ offense is predicated on vertical attacks and deep balls. Shanahan’s offense is predicated on the run. There’s nothing wrong with either approach, but a quarterback in a vertical offense will always have more yards than a quarterback in a run-heavy traditional West Coast offense (No, that’s not an oxymoron. Shanahan runs the West Coast offense, but his particular style is “run-heavy”.)

Secondly, due to Morris, Shanahan’s play-calling style, and the overall gameplan to keep the Washington defense off the field as much as possible, the Redskins have a much greater time of possession margin than the Colts do. Because the offense is on the field for longer, Griffin does not have to throw as much to to catch up or maintain leads.

This isn’t to say that Luck’s 4400 yards as a rookie is not impressive, just that there’s a good reason Griffin doesn’t have as many yards, and the idea that Griffin will never be able to pass for that many yards during his career is flat-out ridiculous. On the other hand, this same argument also helps justify Luck’s interception numbers.

And on that note, boasting about comeback wins is frequently a double edged sword, especially in this case. It’s one thing if the team has a completely abominable defense or a ridiculously hard schedule, but the Colts don’t have either. Luck’s comeback wins are, more often than not, brought about by Luck’s own turnovers. That’s not to say Luck isn’t a winner, or a clutch quarterback. It’s not even to say that the comeback wins aren’t impressive: they are. Just that, like the Christmas present I bought for my neighbors after I dinged their new car, Luck’s self-imposed comebacks are nice, but they don’t come with bragging rights.

What it boils down to is that Luck and Griffin are both winners to the core, and there’s no unbeatable argument from either side to prove that one is better than the other.

RG3 enters the final week of the regular season with several NFL rookie records already secured and more within reach and certainly attainable.

Those records include:

-Highest passer rating, rookie, season: 104.1
-Highest completion percentage, rookie, season: 66.44
-Best touchdown pass–interception differential, rookie season: 14 (20–6)
-Lowest percentage of passes intercepted in rookie season: 1.33 (375 attempts – five interceptions)
-Most rushing yards by a rookie QB in a season — he has 714 and counting.
-Selected for the Pro Bowl (the game that over the years has sucked more and more), only one other rookie was an outright selection – Dan Marino
-No NFL player has ever sold as many jerseys in one season.
-Only Aaron Rodgers has a better passer rating in 2012.
-He’s the only quarterback in the NFL that has thrown for at least 2,500 yards and rushed for 700 yards this season.

It’s the perspective of Shanahan. Whether you agree with it or not, he is just giving the reporter his opinion pertaining to what he has seen from his rookie QB this year. It’s not to say that the other rookies prepare the same, or are just as talented, but he coaches RG3, not Wilson or Luck. Also, those comparing him to the Brady’s, and Manning’s of the world, he is referring to RG3’s rookie year. I think Shanahan is aware of these veteran HOF QB’s. Bottom line, this weekend’s game will be an extremely tough one for a rookie, and for a young team like the skins, but if anyone is real football fan, we would love to see the Wilson/RG3 match up in the playoffs. No matter if your a hawk or skins fan, it would be epic!

Level of hype maybe. Russell Wilson has been doing what RG3 has been doing all years except without the fan fare and against stiffer competition. The only bigger injustice of Russell Wilson losing the ROTY award to RG3 would be RG3 losing it to Luck. The NFL’s great white hype.

That 91 yards he put up against the falcons was impressive, lol. Cousins is better.

The east is an easy playoff win for Seattle or Frisco
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While the idea that Cousins is better is simply a joke, there’s no escaping the fact that Griffin was struggling against Atlanta, causing him to force plays with his feet and eventually get knocked out of the game. However, no matter what your opinion of Griffin, that is, unarguably, the only game he has struggled in during his rookie season.

Seattle and San Fransisco are both great teams. And while, presuming the Redskins make the playoffs (knock on wood), the Washington area certainly has good cause to worry about their first playoff game, one shouldn’t forget that they beat the Seahawks last year and lost to San Fran by only two points.

That being said, the night and day difference between Griffin and Grossman; Wilson and Seattle’s scoring rampage; and the 49ers not looking as dominant as they were last year, makes any playoff scenario a very tricky call.

I live in the DC area and the Skins fans are the worst in the NFC East. They don’t even root for their own team most years, they root for the other NFC East teams to lose. Every year before the season starts they talk about making the playoffs, then by game 7 they are all selling their tickets and calling for Snyder and Tanarat’s heads. Now they are feeding the Bobby Griffin hype and do not recognize that Alfred Morris is the reason for their success.

Their own fans and the local press even call themselves “The Bandwagon” when they do well, because they only speak up/ become rabid fans when they are having a good season…and when they do you can’t shut them the hell up no matter what.

Level of hype maybe. Russell Wilson has been doing what RG3 has been doing all years except without the fan fare and against stiffer competition. The only bigger injustice of Russell Wilson losing the ROTY award to RG3 would be RG3 losing it to Luck. The NFL’s great white hype.
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Except that he hasn’t. Wilson looks like he’s going to be a star for years to come, but don’t kid yourself, he hasn’t been playing the way he hasrecently all year. In fact, a lot of experts were calling for him to be benched earlier in the season. And let’s not forget Wilson’s real turnaround came when Carroll began viewing tape of Griffin III and getting Wilson to emulate his playing style. Wilson’s stats are bigger, but it could easily be argued that Griffin’s are better. That’s not a debate I want to engage in, however, because it would never end.

As you can see, Washington has a slight, but overall insignificant, edge in every category, playing slightly better opponents, beating slightly better teams, and losing to slightly better teams than Seattle did. While that edge means virtually nothing, it does mean that Wilson certainly didn’t face “stiffer competition”.

And given that the Seahawks are a noticeably superior team to the Redskins at just about every position, it could therefore be argued that Griffin is a bigger asset to his team than Wilson is to his.

Again, this is no knock on Wilson, personally I’m a big fan of his. Just making the case that Griffin winning the award over Wilson is not an injustice by any means.

He’s most likely going to end up like Cam Newton next year with the amount of hype that is behind him. They were hyping him up before he even played with the Subway commercials, it’s ridiculous. Shanahan needs to stop talking period much like Redskin fans until the “success”, something I use loosely, is repeated next year.

Hey jwreck
i wasn’t going to bring it up, but since you did, here you go…the Skins had the easiest schedule in the NFC East, courtesy of their last place finish last season. So they could possibly end up in a 3 way tie and make it to the playoffs courtesy of their weak schedule.

The Giants played the 49ers, while the Skins got the Rams. The Giants played the Packers, while the Skins got the Lions…. I would take an educated guess and say that would be two more losses for the Redskins and out of playoff contention. We will see, since they will get 2nd place Seahawks or 49ers in first round more than likely. If they win that, they will probably get the Packers. If they win those two, I will concede that they are worthy.

In a tight division, getting the 4th place schedule is a big difference than the 1st. Lets see how they do next year with a tougher schedule.

Some idiot wrote earlier that Cam had more rushing yards last yr. What a fool! Griffin broke that record in week 12. The argument that Luck has a better record will be moot after the Colts lose and Skins win on Sunday. Griffin plays in a much tougher division. Everyone should know that not all NFL schedules are alike. Colts had an easy schedule, whereas Skins not so much. Extreme idiots on this sight.

jwreck- You’re a good writer but seem to lack a clear understanding of the great game of football.
Coach Shanny did say imply that RG has had a better year than A. Luck (psychological way to lift his confidence for upcoming game(s) )
It does not matter what the OC’s system is……it is more difficult to throw the deep ball vs 2 Deep man under than slants, bubble screens and hitches – the majority of RG passes on route tree.
RG will have to get much better throwing seam passes and passes down the middle to ever get near 44oo yards at this level…..he was less than adequate at Baylor throwing deep other than outside the numbers (7 and 9 routes) and is still in need of major improvement there. (defenders will start jumping those slants if he cannot get respect deep)
Comeback wins show a QB’s ability to win under pressure plain and simple. (see Montana, Staubach, Elway & E Manning) The rest of your argument about c/b wins are conjecture and supposition.
RG and Skins are 25th at converting 3rd downs….Luck’s Ponies are 11th and he is 1st on converting 4th downs…..additional evidence of the clutch gene. RG III thrives off the #1 rated running game and read option for play action to freeze back 7, while Luck does not have that luxury or near the talent/experience on either side of the ball. When Newton won the ROY award last year, pundits did not question his 17 picks and he DID have stellar RB’s but did not have 10 wins, single season/single game passing records or 7 comeback wins…..Luck with at least 10 wins and higher expectations for 2-14 pathetic team that was “gutted” and bigger shoes to fill is clearly and objectively the better Rookie this year. Kudos to RG and Wilson; they have had great rookie campaigns but they have more to work with by a wide margin…..and both are dink & doink (great YAC) type passers as of this post. I would not mind any of the three on my NYG team.

With apologies to Dan Marino, a QB with gaudy numbers that can’t win Super Bowls is like a beautiful woman with flatulence, she stinks but everyone politely talks about how pretty she is. So its good Shanahan was the one to bring it up because much of RG3’s success depends on the quality of his coaching and the team surrounding him. No question they were great in San Francisco around Montana and Young, but in Denver Elway struggled to get over the top until they developed a complementary running game. Since continuity at QB has been showed time an again to be more important than intermittent greatness, coaching him to stay healthy is job one. Great offensive line and a running back to do the pounding for him should be a priority as well. Of course nobody can win consistently without an upper level defense. So its really up to you Mike, and Redskins’ management to make these statements true.

RG3 is a true rookie. Brady, Rodgers, Elway, Montanna, etc didn’t come out and play at high level and win. So that should also kill the Cam argument. Cam is gifted but he sucks as a leader. RG3 said in press conference that he will put the team on his shoulders and get them in the playoffs. How many of the greats had his maturity. His leadership skills. This cats a rookie and pulled a major 10 years vet move. It’s not just his stats which some of you try to discredit because you CLAIM all his passes are dump offs. This man has thrown some of the most beautiful deep passes this season. A lot of you don’t watch the games. It’s too obvious. The only QB rookie I’ve seen come out and win early and play at a high level is Dan Marino. HTTR

I love how you non- redskin fans like to watch highlights of the games and only see the big plays rg3 makes on the ground, and then say that he will not last 3-4 years because all he does is run and doesnt protect himself. Try watching a entire game and compare it back to the beginning of the season. You will see he doesnt run nearly as much.

Griffin has brought more hope and change to D.C. than anyone in a long long time (looking at you Obama). The kid can flat out play and I think he’d be effective in any scheme he played in. Fact of the matter is, Shanny knows what he has, gave up the farm to get him, and has blended his scheme with Griffin’s talent and guess what? We’re seeing a brilliant qb play at a level that no one expected, even the biggest of us Skins fans. I like Wilson and Luck, but I’d take RGIII all day everyday. I do think though that in a few years, it’ll be Luck/Griffin 1a/1b just like Manning and Brady with Wilson maybe being Brees, but I have to see more from him.

As for Luck doing more with less, you all do recall that most pundits had the skins going somewhere around 2-14 this year, right? This team has gotten it done by playing hard and playing together as a team. We may not make it to the SB or hell, may even lose tomorrow, God forbid, but the future in D.C. is bright between Luck, Morris, Kerrigan, Orakpo, Harper, Strasburg, Gio, Zimmerman/n and company.

Great name by the way, it cracks me up. Also, keep hating brotha. Us REAL skins fans are not setting ourselves up for a let down, nor have we waivered on our team throughout. I have lived in the DC area all my life, and am a lifelong skins fan, and associate myself with nothing but lifelong skins fans. Just to let everyone know out there, most of the moronic comments that are put on PFT do not come for the real fan, it comes from that drunk unruley loud mouth so called fan that is trying to stir the pot. REAL skins fans are very nervous about this game this weekend, and most feel if we don’t win, that our team is still heading in the right direction. We will be very disappointed, but at least we can see that light at the end of the tunnel going forward. That’s what the REAL skins fans are saying in the DC area.

Uhh….. To those Gmen fans who want to talk strength of schedule….you won the bowl last year. So you should be able to return to the playoffs despite strength of schedule. The skins were 5-11 (beat you twice by the way) and have 2 rookies leading the way on offense. Mmmmmmm.

Gmen outlook. Arrows down.
Skins outlook. Arrows up.

I’ve got respect. You won two bowls recently. Our 3 were years ago. The tides are shifting. The Gmen fans around me on Monday night a few weeks ago acknowledged the same.

cowboyhater- i have nothing but respect for the True Redskins fans, many of whom are friends of mine. But you have to admit the press has been awful in covering them unless they are winning, and a lot of season ticket holders do sell off their tickets when mid season rolls around. I also know season ticket holders that are scrambling looking for tickets to this weeks game because they sold theirs before the bye week. Overall there are good, true fans and a lot of fair weather/ bandwagon fans.

blutobluehouse says: Dec 28, 2012 10:13 PM
Too much stuff to paste here
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The hell do you think you’re doing man? This is PFT: you’re not allowed to make reasonable, well-thought out arguments; actually know anything about football; or respond to other posters without aggressive, irrelevant personal attacks.

While I respect you being the only rational person on PFT, who not only actually wants to talk about football in full, understandable sentences, but also knows what he’s talking about; a lot of your arguments are not so much disagreements as simple misunderstandings of my original post.

First off, I said “Shanahan is not saying Luck is a bad quarterback”, as he clearly is implying that Griffin has had a better season. Brady is better than Ryan, but does that mean Ryan is a “bad quarterback”? Clearly not.

Second- Obviously Bruce Arians’ offense requires more difficult throws than Shanny’s. As I said, that explains both Luck’s passing yards and interceptions. Also, as I said, that’s not because Griffin can’t make those throws: it’s because Arians’ offensive strategy is an aggressive vertical attack; Shanahan’s is to keep the ball in Griffin’s hands, eat up the clock, and keep the defense off the field.

Next, if you remember the Luck/Griffin draft debate last year, one point every expert made is that Luck and Griffin both throw very good, and very comparable deep balls. If you watch more tape of Griffin’s play this year, you’ll see that the vast majority of his deep throws are between the numbers: typically 8, 6, and 2 routes (yeah, I played high school ball too, brah). As for throwing for 4400 yards, the fact is that Griffin’s YPC is noticeably greater than Luck’s; Luck just throws 13 more times a game. Clearly, Griffin’s deep ball is not the issue: Washington’s play calling, run game, and offensive system have much more to do with Luck’s greater passing yardage.

My argument about game-winning drives is entirely conjecture and opinion. And while I did clearly state that Luck is clutch and performs very well under pressure, I was just making the point that because of Luck’s turnovers (which, you’ll remember, I excused earlier while discussing the difference between an Arians offense and a Shanahan offense) seven comeback wins isn’t as impressive as it could be.

Additionally, I would point out that, with the exception of the Steelers game, in which Washington receivers set the NFL record for total drops in a game, Griffin has kept the Redskins in every game they’ve lost this season until the final drive. In other words: of Griffin’s six losses, only one has been by more than seven points; and despite playing a vastly easier schedule, only one of Luck’s five losses has been by seven points or less.

Third down conversions is a very impressive stat, and a great argument for Luck. However, bear in mind that Griffin’s top two receiving threats, including 3rd down superstar Fred Davis, have been out almost the entire season, while Future Hall-of-Famer Reggie Wayne, one of the greatest 3rd down players ever, is having a career year. And while the Redskins are 25th on 3rd downs, they are only 7 points behind the Colts (42% vs. 35%).

Fourth down percentage, however, is not a great argument. While the Colts are 1st in the league, they only have 8 attempts. Meanwhile, Griffin is third in the NFL, despite 17 fourth down attempts.

Last, if you want to argue that Luck had a better rookie season than Cam Newton, fine, I agree with you 110%; I just didn’t think that’s what the discussion was. And clearly Luck is not “objectively” the ROY. If it was objective, there wouldn’t be any discussion about it. Luck had a better rookie season than Brandon Weeden: that is an objective statement.

In summary, Griffin and Luck had the two best rookie seasons of all time. I think Griffin is better, you think Luck is better. And “objectively” there’s no conclusive argument for either player. This argument could go on for pages and pages, but why don’t we just agree that Griffin and Luck are both superstars and leave it at that?

@hereisitallbrokenhearted—Apologies on behalf of the reference to the NFC least. If the Redskins win they will only be tied for the worst record in the playoffs. A Bengals loss could back them into that distinction in the AFC, but a Cowboys win could lock up NFC least for this year. You’re right about NFC worst though, been more than a decade I think since Kurt Warner’s Rams won a SB and lost one back to back. Super Bowl losers like the Seahawks are garbage as you mentioned. And I’ve gotta say, your Redskins SB victory with Joe Gibbs, Doug Williams, and John Riggins was the best I ever saw. Ground and pound, nitty gritty REAL football that you don’t get to see any more! Giants over undefeated Pats and that run out of nowhere last year were the best too, but gee, I can’t seem to remember all the others from the East in this decade. Of course you remember, and good luck if those garbage Seahawks find you in DC, uh pardon Landover? Virginia? anyway when you play them in the first round! You’re the BEast, ask anybody in the media.

Hey jwreck
i wasn’t going to bring it up, but since you did, here you go…the Skins had the easiest schedule in the NFC East, courtesy of their last place finish last season. So they could possibly end up in a 3 way tie and make it to the playoffs courtesy of their weak schedule.

The Giants played the 49ers, while the Skins got the Rams. The Giants played the Packers, while the Skins got the Lions…. I would take an educated guess and say that would be two more losses for the Redskins and out of playoff contention. We will see, since they will get 2nd place Seahawks or 49ers in first round more than likely. If they win that, they will probably get the Packers. If they win those two, I will concede that they are worthy.

In a tight division, getting the 4th place schedule is a big difference than the 1st. Lets see how they do next year with a tougher schedule.
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hey ballsack
I wasn’t going to bring it up, but since you did, you have the reading comprehension of an orangutan.

Your argument would make some sense if I was comparing Griffin and Eli, but if you spent one second reading what I wrote, you would clearly see I was comparing Wilson and Griffin’s strength of schedule.

Lastly: “[Washington] could possibly end up in a 3 way tie and make it to the playoffs courtesy of their weak schedule.” C’mon man, ties are decided by divisional records, and, last time I checked, every team in NFC East has the same schedule when it comes to playing other teams in the NFC East.

To expand on strength of schedule- NYG had toughest in league this year- opponents were 140-116 (.547) and Skins opponents were 125-131 (.488).

So I would think you just punked yourself with your own stats.

Good luck this weekend.
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Again, who the hell is talking about the Giants? I sure wasn’t.

And while comparing strength of schedule by points may, in fact, be a more valid measure of strength of schedule than winning percentage; I’m not totally sure how I can punk myself with my own stats when you use a completely different set of stats, and compare them to teams I was never discussing.

Oh look, RGIII has a better forty time than Vince Wilfork, so therefore Griffin is rookie of the year right?

See, it’s easy to win arguments when you totally change the subject and measure of comparison.